With your help
by eviechan68
Summary: Post Book 4 finale/ future AU fanfic - Korra helps uncle Mako to take care of his brother's children. By the end of the day she shares something important with him. Fluff. Contains platonic Mako and estabilished Bopal.


"Oh, it's you." A visibly grumpy Mako answered the door.

"Good to see you too, Mako!" Korra crossed her arms over ver chest slightly annoyed.

"Sorry, " he mumbled his apology, "How can I help you, Korra?"

Korra looked at him from his head to toe and raised her eyebrow.

"Uh...Shouldn't I ask you that? "

Mako snorted; he was perfectly aware of how he probably looked like a wreckage- and how she was the least person he wanted to be seen like that. His always gelled and impeccable hair had a spiky strands pointing everywhere. He wore an apron stained by something that looked like a dark soy sauce - or Korra hoped it was. While one arm held the door open, the other bounced his little baby niece, Pearl. His face was a mix of tiredness and annoyance. Korea could just figure that he was having a difficult night.

"C'mon Mako, Bolin asked me to give you a hand with the kids."

"Thank you, but I have everything under control." he tried to sound resolute as possible. It doesn't need and especiaist to tell he was lying. Korra peeked over his shoulder and saw that not just Mako but the whole room, were a mess. Reminded her of the old cot she lived when she was a young child; now matter how much effort her mom put to keep the place tidy and clean, Korra always found a way to ruin it. For a moment she saw her mom on Mako and how he was standing there and it just fetlt...weird.

"Hi, auntie Korra!" Bolin and Opal's twin boys San and Yan past behind them running and screaming. Korra waved at them cheerfully as Mako scolded them from running around in the house. Mako might be trying his best to look all cool and collected up but Korra could easily tell how he was desperate for help.

"Aren't your girlfriend here with you?"

"No, she uhh...couldn't be here today" he admitted sheepishly. Korra noticed it was kinda getting frequent- it was easier to find his girlfriend NOT with him than actually with him (and mostly when he would need her around). Korra wondered if something was wrong between them but brushed it off.

"So, Super-Uncle-Mako can handle the three kids all by himself? I'm impressed!"she smirked.

Behind them a sound of something breaking; a pile of scattered glass rested between the twin boys feet... "It wasn't me, it was San's fault!" yelled Yan pointing to his brother;"Me?! It was your fault!" San accused him back. "Guys, you seriouslly-" Mako grunted frustrated "what did I told you about running inside the house?"

In the middle of the commotion , baby Pearl started to wail in her uncle's arm, much to Mako's desperation. "Oh no, no, no.. calm down baby, shh..." He tried to shush her with no sucess.

"Hand me her," Korra stretched out her hands to the little girl. Mako couldn't refuse her offer and handed her his niece. "Now go afer the twins." She said.

The rest of the night went without major events - except for the broken lampshade that Mako would have to replace later or when San stuck a piece of crayon inside his nose and couldn't get it off.

Somehow, Mako and Korra were able to establish a good dynamic with the children; she kept the twins busy with fun and games while Mako took care of the boring part like, trying to maintain a little sense of order and preparing dinner. The baby-related chores they shared equally.

It was a weird felling for Mako to see himself in a good sync with Korra without being on a battlefield or in a probending arena, since it was what left of their relationship lately. To see Korra sitting by his side in a living room rolling on the floor with children was the least scene he would picture them together in. While he rocked slowly Pearl's basket, the twins had Korra pinned to the floor in a tickle attack. Her laugh was so genuine... He tried to remember whe was the last time he saw her smiling like this... The sound of her laughing was like music to his ears, a sweet melody that he found out he misses so much.

If someone outside saw them like could assume they were a... a family, and a happy one. His mind started to form some ideas... it started to picture Korra as a mother. What if they were her kids? How would be their daily life? She raising them everyday- would have so many smiles as now? Does it make her happy? What if he was the father ... Mako could feel his cheeks grow warmer.

That exact moment Korra's eyes locked gaze with his, her smiling so wide and bright... Mako's face grew so hot it might explode.

.

.

.

Korra paced back and forth in the small nursery room, humming an old watertribe lullaby she remembered from her childhood. The baby finally was surrending to sleep, her bright green eyes half-lidded yet still wanting to look at Korra. She let out a small yawn. Korra smiled lovingly to her.

Pearl was a good baby and not so hard to deal with... and probably one of the cutest, also. She had plenty of Bolin on her, from the lighter skin tone to a cute little button nose, while her brothers looked more like their mother. One thing Korra thought was really funny was that the three of them had the same little lock of hair curled on their foreheads. No matter how much Opal would fix their hair, that small strand just stick out to their front.

"Off to dreamland there you go!" Whispering softly, Korra carefully laid the baby down on the crib and tucked her in to sleep.

When she turned to leave the room she met Mako standing in the doorway. She couldn't tell how long he was there, or what exactly he was thinking of, but he had the dumbest look she ever saw on his face. Korra felt her face get flushed a little. It took her a second to notice that Mako's clothes and hair were soaking wet.

"Let me guess, the twins bathed you instead of the contrary?"

"Ha, ha, very funny," he grunted "they tried to push me into the tub that was all..."

"Most like they actually suceeded!"

"Anyway," he ignored her. His face a deep shade of red, "the boys are all cleaned up and I managed to put them to sleep...somehow."

"Nice job, Super-Uncle!" Korra congraulate him with sarcasm. She took him by the arm and led him to the kitchen, "and how did you get that? Smacked them in the head or something?" She asked while waterbending the water from his clothes into the sink.

"Of course not!" He scowled, "they were probably too tired already..."

"I'm too tired as well..." Korra went to the living room and threw herself sprawled on the couch.

"You don't say..." Mako rubbed his hand on his face and leaned at the doorframe. "Want some tea?" He offered pointing to the kitchen.

"Mm ... hmm ..." She hummed her answer.

"I dont know how Bolin and Opal put up with this two everyday..." Mako handed Korra her teacup.

"I mean ... raise Bolin was hard enough but these twins are just crazy!" he sat next to her on the couch.

Korra laughed and took a sip of tea. "They're just children, Mako" she reasoned, "and do you remember how Meelo was, and still is? They're just too full of energy while we are just getting old..."

"I know, I know..." he raised his hands in defeat, "but, just for the record, I do love my nephews... even if I don't sound like I do."

"I believe you ... and I can tell" she smiled from behind her cup.

"By the way, I saw you with Pearl just now and I got to ask ...since when did you know what to do with babies?" Mako asked really intrigued.

"Oh, I helped Pema with her kids in the past, remember? And I've seen Asami and her girlfriend with baby Hiroshi... I guess I learned some things ..."

"Oh."

They shared a small smile and let the conversation fade out, relishing in a small moment of silence after such an tiring night. They let be just them and their tea, sharing a small moment of peace together. Korra leaned back against the armrest of the sofa and brought her legs up. When Mako thought she had fallen asleep, Korra's voice broke the silence;

"Sooo...still speaking about children..." she started hesitantly, "do you have any plans to have your own ... with your girlfriend, i mean."

Mako's almost spit out his tea, too struck by her question. "Not in the near future I guess...I intend to be known just as Uncle Mako for a while more" he tried to hide his discomfort with a yellow smile.

Mako finished his tea with one big gulp and put the cup on the coffe table in front of them. He leaned back on the couch felling still uneasy by her question. Now that Korra brought that up, he realized he had never really stopped to think about it, actually. His mind had been only on surviving mode for so long... and then later his job took it almost entirely. Even being in a somewhat stable relationship lately - which was a rather new situation for him, considering his past records - Mako preferred not to make many plans for the future. To think of starting a family was still a strange thought for him, almost unlikely to happen even, but not exactly an unwanted desire. Maybe if he and Korra had made up in the past, today they could be... Maybe the two of them .. just maybe...

Mako cleared his throat with exaggerated cough before continuing, "and you... What about you?"

"I'm happy being just Auntie Korra as well..." she gave him a small smile "plus I don't believe it's going to happen anyway..."

"Oh, right... I figured this wouldn't be in your plans actually..." Mako said awkwardly, "I mean, it would not be an easy task to conciliate your Avatar duties and a kid but... I'm sure when you find someone, you know... special, you might change your mind later and-"

"Its not like that, Mako" she interrupted sharply "... It's not possible, really."

Mako turned his head to her. He saw her chewing on her lower lip as if she intended to say something but she couldn't find the right words she wanted, or as if the subject bothered her to much to talk about.

"Actually..." she started in a low voice, "due to the poisoning, there's still some after-effects I may not be able to really overcome..." she bit her lip, "and infertility is one of them..."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that, Korra" He looked at her sympathetically.

"I never gave it to much thought indeed..." she continued with a strained voice, "The healers told about that possibility and some other things but it didn't matter for me at that time. All I could think was to get back on my feet again... be the Avatar- be myself again... the rest I could deal with later."

He saw her bring her knees closer to her chest, visibly uncomfortable with the topic. Her eyes lost somewhere in the past;

"Now I see my friends starting their own families and having kids and stuff...I would be liying if I said it didn't bother me a little sometimes" Korra admitted quite ashamed, the last words muffled by her cup of tea.

She took another pause before continuing, her mouth opening and closing before she said anything. "I really don't want to fell bad about that in the future" her voice quivered a little, "I-I want to be sincere everytime I say I'm happy for them!" Korra brought even closer to her chest, half of her face covered by her cup of tea as if she wanted to hide her whole in it if it's possible.

"I don't want to feel I'm less of a woman because of that..."

She spoke the last phrase so low it was almost unintelligible, part of her trully wishing he haven't heard her indeed. Her eyes stung with a few tears that dared crawl behind them, but she bit the tears away. Inside her mind, Korra cursed herself by her choice of words- and for bringing that subject out, beforehand. She felt so exposed right now... and vulnerable and weak. Spirits know how she hated to feel that way, specially in front of other people - specially in front of him.

For Mako, it was really sad to know she still have to suffer the consequences of that traumatic event, even after so many years. Everytime he saw her being so strong, or using her bending or just walking freely and being herself, he preferred to think those days never happened in her life, that everything always were fine with her; that those days were just a terrible nightmare they all dreamt at the same time- and gratefully were able to wake up from.

As a man, he might not completely understand how much this specific after-effect affected her or not, but he couldn't believe the absurdity of her previous words. Korra couldn't be more wrong about herself, and she needed to know that.

"You're an amazing woman, Korra, and always will be, don't let anything make you think otherwise."

He put a hand on her knee and looked deeply in her eyes, gathering all the sincerity he could have inside him before saying those words. Korra felt the air escape form her lungs for an instant. Even after so many years Mako, sometimes, had this effect on her. He was always up to say right on her face what he thought about her, may it hurts or not; but was on times like this, when he needed someone to doesn't let her forget how amazing, or strong she is, that Mako was there. And what bothers her the most is that he always meant what he says - she could see in his eyes the genuine nature of his words; and it never failed to help her feel better.

She let herself relax a little again. Korra couldn't help but to open to him a big smile. In her eyes he could read a silent "thank you" that he assured with a little nod of his head.

"You were the first one I told it." she whispered softly, resting her head on the back of the couch.

"Really?! Not even Asami?" Mako blinked surprised. It made more sense to him if she had shared it first with her, afterall the two had been one item for quite a while and still were close friends - well, closer than him latelly- and since both were women, Asami could undestand better Korra's situation. But for some reason she chose Mako, the same Korra that deliberatedly decided to not share anything of her life with him for whole three years. Mako couldn't feel more privileged to have her trust again after all that happened between them in the recent past.

"Why me, Korra?"

"I dont know" she shrugged feigning unimportance. "I felt safe to tell you, somehow."

"Well thanks for chosing me anyway... I'm just glad you felt that way with me." Mako gave her knee a gentle squeeze before letting it go. "And thanks for your help today, I didn't realize how much I needed that" he chuckled slightly.

"Anytime" She smiled. Korra scooted on the couch to snuggle next to him. Mako watched her from the corner of his eye. The warmth radiating from her body indicated that she was really close to him. Almost unconsciously Mako leaned into her direction, as they return to their previous state of silent peace.

"There's a lot of children on the streets nowadays, if you really cannot ,you know... and if you ever think on adopting..." he left it hanging in the air.

"That's an idea ..." she replied with a voice a little slurred from sleep. Soon the tiredness took the best on her and Mako could tell by the soft weight of her head she'd fallen asleep on his shoulder. He dared to let his head rest above hers as his own fatigue overpowered him. It didn't take long for him to follow her.

That night they helped both of them in different ways - but definitely helped them to feel closer to each other, maybe in more ways than one...


End file.
